This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2011, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
A lot of people know a little about Jehovah's Witnesses.
They know members go door to door to spread the faith. They know they don't celebrate holidays or birthdays. Maybe they know that Witnesses believe we are living in "the last days," a time of war, wickedness and destruction before God's Kingdom will come to rule the Earth.
But some beliefs, such as those surrounding baptism, are less known. Witnesses often are baptized as teens or adults and many follow the faith for years before taking that step. Witnesses believe members should be baptized only after demonstrating a certain level of biblical knowledge and commitment.
Dozens will likely be baptized next month at the faith's three-day convention in Ogden, where about 6,500 Witnesses will listen to religious addresses and view a full-costume biblical drama.
Quinton Dobbins, a 40-year-old Salt Lake City telemarketer, has been a Witness for more than a third of his life and is among those who will be baptized at the convention.
"It's huge. It's life," Dobbins said. "I'm stable enough now to say my love for Jehovah [God] comes first."
Dobbins' faith wasn't always so solid. The Utah native was reared as a Witness, but he began to fall away when he was about 13 years old. His parents were divorcing, and he became more interested in hanging out with friends than thinking about God.
"You start doing things that aren't acceptable with Jehovah," Dobbins said, "and you can't be a part of both [worlds]."
Being a Jehovah's Witness requires dedication and time. Members typically attend twice-weekly meetings — where they sing, pray, learn teaching, reading and research skills, study the Bible and discuss it — in addition to spending hours a week knocking on doors. Witnesses believe it's vital to spread the "good news" that God's Kingdom eventually will bring everlasting life to faithful followers and turn the Earth into a paradise.
They also believe they can help their neighbors live better lives by showing them the value of following the Bible's teachings.
But for many years Dobbins didn't heed the religion's teachings. He went to bars with friends, sometimes "drinking to the point to where it was not acceptable." Witnesses believe it's OK to drink alcohol but not to the point of drunkenness. He lived in California and Arizona, had two children and marketed mortgages.
The whole time, a part of Dobbins always thought he would return to the religion — even if he didn't know exactly when.
That opportunity arose about two years ago, when he tried to reconnect with his faith. An acquaintance gave his name and number to another Witness.
"He just contacted me and asked me what my interest was," Dobbins recalled, "and I told him I wanted to learn the Bible, and he said he'd come meet with me."
After that, the two started meeting once a week to study the Bible and small booklets called What Does the Bible Really Teach? and Keep Yourselves in God's Love. They also went door to door.
Now, when questions arise, Dobbins can leaf through the Bible, finding, within a couple of minutes, passages that may provide answers or direction.
Before baptism, Witnesses undergo a review by a congregation's elders. For Dobbins, that meant answering questions posed by three elders over the course of three sessions. Baptism candidates also must be free of sins considered serious by Witnesses (sexual immorality, drug abuse, drunkenness), dedicate themselves to God in prayer and repent (since Witnesses believe all humans are sinners).
"It's a commitment and not something taken lightly," said Warren Beers, an elder in a Millcreek congregation and a spokesman for the faith in Utah.
At the convention, Witnesses such as Dobbins will be immersed one at a time in a small pool, explained Richard Wolf, an elder with a Bountiful congregation who also works as a spokesman for the faith. To Witnesses, Wolf said, it makes more sense and is more in line with Bible teachings to baptize people after they have studied and chosen their faith.
"What did I know at 4 weeks old?" Wolf says, referring to his own baptism as a Catholic before becoming a Witness. "Baptism is a commitment. It's a change of life. It's really dedicating your life to do his will."
Baptism doesn't guarantee salvation for members. But plunging beneath the water symbolizes the death of one's former life. When one re-emerges, that person is alive to do the will of God.
"Being able to reach that point," said a serious but excited Dobbins, "it's great."
Convention set
An English-language convention for Jehovah's Witnesses will be held July 1-3 at the Dee Events Center in Ogden. The theme: "Let God's Kingdom Come." All convention sessions are free and open to the public. It will be one of 381 such conventions in 98 U.S. cities from late May through mid-September. —
By the numbers
• About 6,500 Witnesses from Utah, Idaho, Colorado and Wyoming are expected to attend the upcoming convention in Ogden, and more than 1.7 million people are expected to attend such conventions across the country.
• There are more than 7.5 million Jehovah's Witnesses worldwide.
• The official journal of Jehovah's Witnesses, The Watchtower, has a circulation of more than 42.1 million copies in 188 languages.